MEDIA and SEX EDUCATION

Just as I did in the last blog, i'm gonna start this off with something from the word of God and then i'll move on to media and sex education. Just because I want to =)

I was so encouraged in the last week because I got a chance to spend some time with a lot of godly people from my church and some from another state but either way it was so refreshing! I read in Ephesians not too long ago that I should...

EPHESIANS 4:29"let no unwholesome word proceed from 'my' mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear" AND

EPHESIANS 5:4 "there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or course jesting, which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks."

I found that these things are SO easy when you're around people who love God. Not only is it easy but its so fun, uplifting and envigorating. You leave the conversation with your focus on God and His promises and it gives you so much more material to meditate on later =) Tonight was really cool because I spent it with two lovely ladies and we talked about a variety of things but it was all centered around Christ. It was really cool because a lot of our conversation went along with EPHESIANS 5:1 "Therefore be imitators of God..." and this is so important because its easy to look up to people who are wiser and more spiritual than us and follow their example in EVERYTHING which makes us disregard personal conviction. I really enjoyed my conversation with these two ladies because I knew I could share my convictions and they would know that if my convictions are different from theirs I won't think any less of them or get angry with them and vice versa. Obvisously if its plainly written in the word theres not room for "different opinions" cuz its very clear, but with other things that are more of a seeking after God to see what he wants for ME, sometimes people are gonna hear different things depending on where they are and where God wants them to go. God really reminded me in the past few weeks that its doesn't matter if other people think certain things are ok, its about what God has shown me personally and the personal convictions that I have. I need to compare myself to Him not anyone else. For example a while ago God convicted me about reading fictional books because I could be reading something like Andrew Murrey or Hudson Taylor etc instead of wasting my time on some christian romance novel. But as soon as I saw that everyone else was reading them I began to "forget" about that conviction and I realized just recently (thanks to my pastor) this was VERY wrong. This was a big OUCH but I'm so glad God showed this to me again.

OK BACK TO MEDIA AND SEX EDUCATION lol

I just took a class in which we learned about the effects that media (tv, advertisements, music, video games, and so on) has on kids, children and adolescents. Let me tell you the effects that media has are OUTRAGEOUS. People think its stupid to blame childrens violent behavoir on violent video games like grand theft auto but study after study after study shows that these kinds of things really get into kids minds and makes them do things they normally wouldn't do. Ok so we were talking about violence and one really stupid intervention tried to deter kids from playing violent video games by teaching them how to creat the violent video game and make the characters bleed all over the place. Basically they were teaching them how to kill. THIS DID NOT WORK. Doing this only made the kids more violent and want to play the violent video games even more. Most people would hear that and say to themselves DUHHHH but then theres sex educaiton...

We think its crazy to try to teach kids not to be violent by letting them be violent, BUT we think that if we teach kids how to have sex we can prevent it. BUT I guess now a days its not really about preventing sex its about preventing pregnancy. My main point here is that if we are teaching kids how to have sex, how to put the condom on, what the different parts are and what their functions are, THEY ARE GONNA DO IT. They are going to get curious and hormones are gonna be raging and its going to encouarge them to do it.

Obviously I'm a big advocate of abstinence but at the same time I don't think thats gonna work either. I hate to say that but its the truth. I've read so many peer reviewed journals and research articles its ridiculous and all the results say that teaching abstinece doesn't work and when they teach abstinence there is actually more pregnancy than when they have sex education. I HATE TO HEAR THIS. The reason is because with abstinence teaching they aren't being educated about birth control (how to use it or where to get it) so the result is more pregnancy. And heres where the media plays a HUGE role (in my opinion).

First of all, I beleive that teaching abstinence is most effective among christians because theres a desire in a christians heart to please God and follow his commandments and theres also the grace of God to guard their hearts and not let them give into temptation. I also think that the abstinece teaching would be more effective among secular crowds as well if it wasn't for the sex that kids see everyday on tv, in movies, on cd covers, on MTV, in songs, and allllllll over the place. Its almost impossible to try to teach kids who couldn't care less about God and his standards to stay pure in a culture that no longer values saving yourself for your partner and flashes body parts moving in very sexual ways before their eyes every single day. And we then encouarge the sexual behavoir by showing them how to do it in sex education classes (I know because I had to go through in the public school system.)

So WHAT DO WE DO????? I'm not trying to scare any of you future parents out there but this is a very serious question to which I have an answer. GET EM SAVED AND PREACH ABSTINENCE. Now this is the most important part but another very important part is to limit their access to media. Limit their tv watching, censor alllll of their music, magazines, and internet use, and just be involved. You're probably gonna put scars on your knees from praying so much and if there aren't any scars you aren't praying enough!!!! This stuff is really powerful but thank God He is more powerful than it all!!! Then theres the question of "what about all the other kids in public schools without praying parents?" Pray for revival people!!! Pray for God to fill those hallways because the percentage of kids who have sex before they graduate from high school is shocking. And it doens't have good effects on these kids, especially girls.

This wasn't very uplifting I know but its something that we need to address and its something us future parents need to be very aware of. So go pray and pray hard!!!